21 October Clubnight: What will the ASB Act mean for freedom?

The Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act will give the police and councils broad new powers to ban activities in public spaces, restrict the behaviour of particular individuals, and to disperse people from an area and confiscate their property.

This meeting - the day after enactment - will discuss the significance of these new measures, and their effect on public liberties.

Do such open-ended powers completely transform the role of UK local authorities and police? How much of a break do they represent from previous Orders controlling behaviour in public spaces? How is the ASB Act likely to be used, and what will it mean for freedom in public spaces? Is there a problem with ‘anti-social behaviour’ or incivility in public life, and how might this problem alternatively be tackled?

This meeting will bring together different groups and individuals concerned about these new powers, to discuss ways of taking them on in the period ahead.